SVPC Staff

Meet the staff of Sorrento Valley Pet Cemetery

Matt & Wendy Matthews:The Matthews family has owned Sorrento Valley Pet Cemetery & Crematory since 1978, and is now on their second generation. Matt focuses mostly on operations and back office processing as the CEO, while Wendy strives to have SVPC develop and excel in our business relationships.

Gerry Wellman, General Manager (since 2011):Gerry has many years of business experience that he uses daily at SVPC for customer service, relationship management, automation and operations. You'll find Gerry in our office or out in the fields as needed, supporting our customers and relationships. Gerry is a long-time pet lover so you might be greeted by his Yorkshire terrier, Laila, while visiting SVPC.

Natalie Lykins, Office Manager (since 2011):Natalie works day to day with our customers to make sure SVPC is efficient but still caring. You'll find her friendly and empathetic voice if you visit or call SVPC. Natalie is an animal lover with many pets of her own, including one pug, an exotic shorthair cat, one rabbit, and three very spoiled hairless rats. She is also our in-house artist. She offers pet portraits and personalized urns to commemorate the pets of our clients. She also loves making the paw prints and nose prints for the pets in our care. She has worked with animals all of her life, and her extensive knowledge of animal behavior, health, and breeds is an asset to our facility.

Lindsay Bravo, Assistant Office Manager (since 2015):Lindsay has many years of experience in the pet care industry. She spent five years working at a dog wash and three years as a dog groomer. Lindsay’s knowledge of dog breeds is very useful at SVPC. She is responsible for accuracy in our receiving process and makes many of the beautiful clay and ink paw prints we hand back to our clients. She has a dog and cat of her own that mean the world to her.

Juan Cecena (since 2014): Juan has 12 years of experience in cremation and brings this knowledge to work every day. Most important is his incredibly respectful treatment of the pets in our care. Many of our vets see him during our scheduled pickups and comment on his professionalism, manners and demeanor with their staff. Juan is married with two children and has had many pets in the past. He also has a great passion for sports.

Ally (since 2012): Ally is a part time resident; should you ever see her, please say hello.